LOST AND FOUND - PART IV
FAMIGLIA
Chapter 28
Two weeks later Adam was alone in the private rail car heading home from San Francisco. Through dogged persistence he had managed to get the charges against Olivia dropped and her money returned. He had used every tactic he could think of and thankfully they had worked.
Smiling, he remembered Olivia's tear-stained, but hopeful face as he, Charlie, Wes, and Dulcy had left her on shipboard in the care of an older couple he and Thea had been friends with for years. She was going back to New York to the aunt who had raised her and hopefully would be able to heal then. Adam doubted she would ever come back.
Saying good-bye to his three friends had been harder, but he knew he had to call off the guard at home. That feeling of foreboding had disappeared when Olivia had shown up. Sighing, he turned his thoughts to rebuilding the regional office and he was soon irritated at the impossible situation he was in.
To request replacement funds he would have to actually go to Washington and appear before a committee. He'd rather shoot himself in the foot more than once before doing that again; he passionately hated just about everything Washington was.
On the other hand, if he replaced the building himself some questions would be asked that he would rather not have to answer, because again he would have to travel to Washington in order to answer them. Sometimes being an honest man could be extremely inconvenient and annoying.
When the train reached Virginia City he stood and clattered down the steps at the end of the car before it had completely stopped moving. He was in a hurry to see his family; he hadn't realized just how long a week could feel until after he was married and had children.
He swung the one bag he had taken with him by the handle as he hurried toward his house, and it wasn't until he was almost there that he glanced down the street and stopped dead in his tracks, astonished. Somehow the regional office had been resurrected.
He continued to stand there and stare for a moment then he smiled. "Theadora," he said softly, then grinned a huge grin, crossed the street and hurried toward the new building. When he was standing in front he paused to look it over up close and spotted a brass plaque near the door.
Stepping closer he read the first line, "US Marshals Regional Office." He smiled again as he read on, "Building constructed and donated by the citizens of Virginia City." Shaking his head he was still looking at the plaque when the door opened partway and Thea slipped through. She stood in front of the partially open door and looked at him almost anxiously.
"Are you annoyed?" she said quietly.
He turned to her with a puzzled frown. "Now why on earth would I be annoyed? This solves so many problems. I just can't believe it - how did you get the whole thing done in two weeks?"
Thea smiled in relief, "Have you ever seen a barn raising? This wasn't much different; it just took a lot more people. "
"I can't believe you pulled this off," he laughed striding forward and picking her up in a tight hug as he swung her around in a circle. When he set her back on her feet she looked up at him with shining eyes.
"Do you want to go inside now?"
He grinned down at her. "You better believe it!"
She slipped out of his arms and went to the door and held it open while making a sweeping bow, indicating for him to go in first. Shaking his head again, he went through the door and nearly jumped out of his skin when all the people packed into the back of the front hall yelled, "Surprise!" He put a hand over his heart and started to laugh, as did everyone else, pleased with his reaction.
He didn't see Thea again for an hour as people vied with each other to get his attention to show him what parts of the building they had worked on. Even the ladies had gotten involved, doing some of the lighter work.
Finally he spotted Thea standing in front of a door he had not gone through yet so he slowly made his way over to her. When he reached her, she opened the door and waved him in. He went in and she followed, closing the door behind them.
The first thing he noticed when he walked in was a door set into the wall facing the side street and he mentally nodded at the wisdom of having a private entrance. Looking around he began to smile again. Everything in this room told him it was his office and that Thea had taken great care in choosing the furniture and the layout. The furniture was upholstered in leather that was a medium blue. The wood was golden oak and the walls were painted a dark cream on the top half and the medium blue on the bottom half divided by a chair rail in the golden oak.
The lamps were all shaded in a darkish green and the carpet had a background of dark cream with dark green leaves and narrow stripes of the medium blue going in both directions dividing the carpet into squares.
Two large bookcases stood behind the desk at the far end of the room, and between them on the wall was a painting of a lush river scene, echoing the blues and greens. Thea went up to it and felt around the edge until she found the latch. She pressed it and swung the painting back to reveal a safe set into the wall.
Adam laughed, "But that's not the real safe, now is it?"
She grinned back at him and came around to the front of the massive oak desk while taking a key from her pocket. Feeling under the top edge of the desk she inserted the key, turned it, and a lock clicked. She pushed sideways on the front panel of the desk to reveal a much larger safe.
He came to crouch down in front and she showed him the combination and swung the door open. "I wondered why the desk was so deep," he said with a pleased smile as his wife handed him the key. He swung the door shut and slid the panel back then they both stood.
Wrapping his arms around her he said, "How the hell did you pull this off Theadora?"
She laughed and put a finger to her lips. "Shhhh, it's a secret and the less you know the better."
"Hmmm...when you put it like that..." he said and had just touched his lips to hers when someone knocked at the door.
"Oh for God's sake!" he grumbled and Thea muffled a laugh.
"Come in," Adam said reluctantly then whispered, "I missed you," in her ear as Nate came in, then stopped dead.
"Uh...sorry boss, but I need to talk to you about something that really can't wait." He looked at Thea and blushed a little at the knowing smile she gave him.
His boss sighed saying, "Alright, but this better be important."
Adam was loath to let go of his wife, but he did and she quickly left the room, closing the door behind her. "Well?" he almost barked, frowning at Nate.
"She's here."
"What! Already?"
"Yep, came in on the train yesterday afternoon and she's getting pretty antsy to meet you. Almost seems like she thinks we made you up or something."
"Suspicious huh? Well I wouldn't expect anything less considering her family."
"That's why I had to tell you right away. I'm afraid if you don't get over to that hotel immediately and talk to her she'll hop the next train out."
Adam thought for a few moments then said, "I shouldn't be very long so you just stay here until I get back and Thea won't know a thing."
Nate nodded, "But don't forget to go in the back way so no one sees you. The room number is 215."
"Yes mother, I'll remember," Adam said irritably as he went through the door. He quickly went down the steps, crossed the street, and went in the back entrance to the hotel. Unfortunately he didn't notice that Hoss was standing on the back porch of the office building and saw him.
Hoss's brow furrowed and he tried to come up with some good reason why Adam would be going into the hotel by the back door. But he couldn't think of one, so he hurried after his older brother. He opened the door to the first floor hallway and didn't see or hear anyone so he went up the stairs to the second floor. When he opened the door to the second-floor hallway he heard the sound of someone knocking coming from around the corner. He quietly walked up to the corner and carefully poked his head out to see Adam standing in the hallway. Then he heard a woman's voice call, "Who it is?"
Smiling, his older brother answered, "Adam."
He heard the woman laugh with delight and the door being unlocked. Adam moved back and when it opened a tallish woman bounced out and threw her arms around him, kissed him on both cheeks, and then took him by the hand to drag him into the room. The door shut firmly behind them.
Hoss stood there, not believing what he had just seen, feeling both stunned and heartsick. He desperately thought, trying to come up with a plausible reason for this, but couldn't no matter how hard he tried. Then he became angry and decided he would just stay where he was and wait for Adam to come out to demand an explanation. He ended up waiting for almost an hour and his thoughts turned more and more to how much this would hurt Thea if she knew. His anger grew with each passing minute.
When the door finally opened and Adam came out, Hoss had a hard time restraining himself from running down the hall right then. But he waited until the woman had hugged and kissed Adam again before shutting the door. His older brother turned to walk down the hallway in his direction, but stopped dead in surprise when Hoss stepped around the corner and started toward him.
Adam got one look at Hoss's expression and said, "Damn" under his breath. He put his hands up, "Hoss wait, this is not what it looks like.'
"Never cheat on Thea, huh?" Hoss said through clenched teeth as he walked faster. Adam backed up.
"I swear to you, I'm not cheating on Thea. This isn't what it looks like," Adam quickly said, backing away from his younger brother with his hands still up. "Oh God," he said and quickly ducked the punch Hoss threw at him.
"Hoss, at least give me a chance to explain," he said then had to avoid another punch that connected with the room door. The woman's voice on the other side called "Who it is?"
"Dora, don't open that door," Adam barked as he backed away from his brother, ducking and weaving and trying to stay out of reach. If Hoss got a hold of him, he would have to fight back and he didn't want to do that.
Hoss almost got him a few seconds later. Adam felt the air move across his face as he just barely avoided a punch that had all of Hoss's weight and power behind it. He avoided it, but the wall couldn't and the big man buried his hand in the plaster up to his wrist.
Adam stood there with his hands on his hips as Hoss tried to pull free, "Now I'm not going to pay for that, Hoss, YOU are."
His brother gave him a furious glare and with a huge wrench freed his hand and made a grab for Adam who backed up too quickly and banged into the room door. It immediately opened and he fell to the floor on his back with Dora standing over him.
She looked down at the man lying at her feet and he started to laugh. Then she looked up at Hoss, taking in his aggressive stance, his clenched fists, and the fire in his eye.
Hoss didn't really see her at first, his attention was focused on his older brother, but he noticed her quickly enough when she stepped over Adam and rushed him, reaching up to slap his face and then began shoving him in the chest until he was up against the wall. The woman was speaking rapidly in a language he was unfamiliar with and he had no idea what to do.
Adam was laughing even harder, but managed to get his breath long enough to gasp, "Dora stop! He's family, famiglia."
Stepping back, she turned and gave Adam a puzzled look as he sat up, then pulled himself to his feet. "This is Hoss, mio fratello. He thinks we are having an affair and he's defending Theadora's honor."
Her eyes went wide and round. "This is the Hoss you speak of in your letters?"
Adam took a deep breath before answering, "Yes, he and Thea are very close."
"Ah! Madre di Dio! Please to forgive me, I did not know," she said her face turning red with embarrassment as she looked up at Hoss imploringly.
"Wait a minute, you aren't off the hook yet," he growled at his brother over the woman's head. "What were you doin' in her room?"
Adam moved forward and put his hands on Dora's shoulders. "Hoss, look at her. Doesn't she look vaguely familiar?"
Hoss looked down at the woman who came up to his chin, taking in her dark gray eyes, glossy chestnut hair, and beautiful face that was now tipped up and looking at him with a cheeky grin. It was the expression that made the connection click in his mind.
"She looks like Thea!"
"Yes! And there's a very good reason for that - she's Thea's first cousin."
Hoss's expression quickly turned from irritation to pleased surprise and then he smiled, his blue eyes shining with happiness for his sister-in-law.
Dora blinked and lost her cheeky grin with a quick intake of breath. When she realized she was staring up at him with her mouth hanging open, she quickly closed it and looked down, her face turning an even deeper shade of red.
All three of them turned then when they heard someone coming. A tall man came around the corner and stopped, staring at the three of them. Then he came toward them at a fast walk. He started speaking before he reached them.
"What is going on here? Dorathea, who are these men?"
When he was almost to them it was plain to see that he was a male version of Dora with the same hair, eyes, and masculine version of her features.
"Calm yourself Dante. This is Adam Cartwright and his brother Hoss."
Dante's frown quickly turned to a smile as he held his hand out to Adam first, and then Hoss. "Ah, I am so pleased to finally meet you! We are very much looking forward to meeting Theadora."
He noticed Hoss looking back and forth between them. "Your eyes do not fool you, Hoss. Dora and I are gemelli, twins. And now we are all cugini, cousins through your brother's marriage to Theadora."
"More twins?" Hoss said to Adam, but Dora answered him.
"Yes, we are twins. Theadora's mother and our mother were also twins. We have very few single births in the direct female line." She smiled up at him and almost gasped again when he looked her in the eye. "L'anima di un angelo" she said softly, staring into his eyes.
"Sorry ma'am, what did you say?" Hoss asked her and she turned red again.
"Nothing, nothing important," she said and ducked her head to hide her expression.
Adam saw it all and was desperately trying to hold on to a serious expression and he knew he couldn't last much longer. "I think we better get back to the party, Hoss. Thea is probably already looking for me and will be deeply irritated soon."
They quickly said their good-byes and the two men started down the hallway. When they turned the corner to take the back stairs, Adam glanced back and saw Dora still standing in the hallway, watching. He grinned.
"So what do you think of your new cugini, Hoss?"
"My what?"
"Your new cousins."
"They seem nice enough. When will you be telling Thea?"
"On her birthday, Christmas Eve. This is my gift to her."
"She's gonna cry, isn't she?"
"I have no doubt she will. Anything to do with family she feels very deeply."
"Why is that with women? I mean, they cry when they're happy and they cry when they're sad," Hoss asked as they went out the back door.
"I don't know Hoss, but maybe it's just because they do feel things more deeply than men."
Hoss shook his head, "Never understand 'em, but I can't wait to see Thea's face."
"Me too." Adam said as they paused by the private entrance to his office. "But now that you know you can be a big help to me. Someone is going to have to help keep Dora entertained so she'll stay out of sight, she looks too much like Thea for people not to notice."
Hoss grinned, "Think she'll be hittin' me again?" he said as he rubbed his cheek. "She packs a pretty good right."
Adam laughed, "Another thing she has in common with her cousin." The two men exchanged amused looks.
"So, will you help me?"
"Sure, anythin' you need." Hoss answered, pleased at the idea of spending time with the beautiful, hot-tempered, and extremely appealing woman. Adam smiled - interpreting his brother's expression correctly - then they both hurried in to rejoin the party that was still in full swing.
FAMIGLIA
Chapter 28
Two weeks later Adam was alone in the private rail car heading home from San Francisco. Through dogged persistence he had managed to get the charges against Olivia dropped and her money returned. He had used every tactic he could think of and thankfully they had worked.
Smiling, he remembered Olivia's tear-stained, but hopeful face as he, Charlie, Wes, and Dulcy had left her on shipboard in the care of an older couple he and Thea had been friends with for years. She was going back to New York to the aunt who had raised her and hopefully would be able to heal then. Adam doubted she would ever come back.
Saying good-bye to his three friends had been harder, but he knew he had to call off the guard at home. That feeling of foreboding had disappeared when Olivia had shown up. Sighing, he turned his thoughts to rebuilding the regional office and he was soon irritated at the impossible situation he was in.
To request replacement funds he would have to actually go to Washington and appear before a committee. He'd rather shoot himself in the foot more than once before doing that again; he passionately hated just about everything Washington was.
On the other hand, if he replaced the building himself some questions would be asked that he would rather not have to answer, because again he would have to travel to Washington in order to answer them. Sometimes being an honest man could be extremely inconvenient and annoying.
When the train reached Virginia City he stood and clattered down the steps at the end of the car before it had completely stopped moving. He was in a hurry to see his family; he hadn't realized just how long a week could feel until after he was married and had children.
He swung the one bag he had taken with him by the handle as he hurried toward his house, and it wasn't until he was almost there that he glanced down the street and stopped dead in his tracks, astonished. Somehow the regional office had been resurrected.
He continued to stand there and stare for a moment then he smiled. "Theadora," he said softly, then grinned a huge grin, crossed the street and hurried toward the new building. When he was standing in front he paused to look it over up close and spotted a brass plaque near the door.
Stepping closer he read the first line, "US Marshals Regional Office." He smiled again as he read on, "Building constructed and donated by the citizens of Virginia City." Shaking his head he was still looking at the plaque when the door opened partway and Thea slipped through. She stood in front of the partially open door and looked at him almost anxiously.
"Are you annoyed?" she said quietly.
He turned to her with a puzzled frown. "Now why on earth would I be annoyed? This solves so many problems. I just can't believe it - how did you get the whole thing done in two weeks?"
Thea smiled in relief, "Have you ever seen a barn raising? This wasn't much different; it just took a lot more people. "
"I can't believe you pulled this off," he laughed striding forward and picking her up in a tight hug as he swung her around in a circle. When he set her back on her feet she looked up at him with shining eyes.
"Do you want to go inside now?"
He grinned down at her. "You better believe it!"
She slipped out of his arms and went to the door and held it open while making a sweeping bow, indicating for him to go in first. Shaking his head again, he went through the door and nearly jumped out of his skin when all the people packed into the back of the front hall yelled, "Surprise!" He put a hand over his heart and started to laugh, as did everyone else, pleased with his reaction.
He didn't see Thea again for an hour as people vied with each other to get his attention to show him what parts of the building they had worked on. Even the ladies had gotten involved, doing some of the lighter work.
Finally he spotted Thea standing in front of a door he had not gone through yet so he slowly made his way over to her. When he reached her, she opened the door and waved him in. He went in and she followed, closing the door behind them.
The first thing he noticed when he walked in was a door set into the wall facing the side street and he mentally nodded at the wisdom of having a private entrance. Looking around he began to smile again. Everything in this room told him it was his office and that Thea had taken great care in choosing the furniture and the layout. The furniture was upholstered in leather that was a medium blue. The wood was golden oak and the walls were painted a dark cream on the top half and the medium blue on the bottom half divided by a chair rail in the golden oak.
The lamps were all shaded in a darkish green and the carpet had a background of dark cream with dark green leaves and narrow stripes of the medium blue going in both directions dividing the carpet into squares.
Two large bookcases stood behind the desk at the far end of the room, and between them on the wall was a painting of a lush river scene, echoing the blues and greens. Thea went up to it and felt around the edge until she found the latch. She pressed it and swung the painting back to reveal a safe set into the wall.
Adam laughed, "But that's not the real safe, now is it?"
She grinned back at him and came around to the front of the massive oak desk while taking a key from her pocket. Feeling under the top edge of the desk she inserted the key, turned it, and a lock clicked. She pushed sideways on the front panel of the desk to reveal a much larger safe.
He came to crouch down in front and she showed him the combination and swung the door open. "I wondered why the desk was so deep," he said with a pleased smile as his wife handed him the key. He swung the door shut and slid the panel back then they both stood.
Wrapping his arms around her he said, "How the hell did you pull this off Theadora?"
She laughed and put a finger to her lips. "Shhhh, it's a secret and the less you know the better."
"Hmmm...when you put it like that..." he said and had just touched his lips to hers when someone knocked at the door.
"Oh for God's sake!" he grumbled and Thea muffled a laugh.
"Come in," Adam said reluctantly then whispered, "I missed you," in her ear as Nate came in, then stopped dead.
"Uh...sorry boss, but I need to talk to you about something that really can't wait." He looked at Thea and blushed a little at the knowing smile she gave him.
His boss sighed saying, "Alright, but this better be important."
Adam was loath to let go of his wife, but he did and she quickly left the room, closing the door behind her. "Well?" he almost barked, frowning at Nate.
"She's here."
"What! Already?"
"Yep, came in on the train yesterday afternoon and she's getting pretty antsy to meet you. Almost seems like she thinks we made you up or something."
"Suspicious huh? Well I wouldn't expect anything less considering her family."
"That's why I had to tell you right away. I'm afraid if you don't get over to that hotel immediately and talk to her she'll hop the next train out."
Adam thought for a few moments then said, "I shouldn't be very long so you just stay here until I get back and Thea won't know a thing."
Nate nodded, "But don't forget to go in the back way so no one sees you. The room number is 215."
"Yes mother, I'll remember," Adam said irritably as he went through the door. He quickly went down the steps, crossed the street, and went in the back entrance to the hotel. Unfortunately he didn't notice that Hoss was standing on the back porch of the office building and saw him.
Hoss's brow furrowed and he tried to come up with some good reason why Adam would be going into the hotel by the back door. But he couldn't think of one, so he hurried after his older brother. He opened the door to the first floor hallway and didn't see or hear anyone so he went up the stairs to the second floor. When he opened the door to the second-floor hallway he heard the sound of someone knocking coming from around the corner. He quietly walked up to the corner and carefully poked his head out to see Adam standing in the hallway. Then he heard a woman's voice call, "Who it is?"
Smiling, his older brother answered, "Adam."
He heard the woman laugh with delight and the door being unlocked. Adam moved back and when it opened a tallish woman bounced out and threw her arms around him, kissed him on both cheeks, and then took him by the hand to drag him into the room. The door shut firmly behind them.
Hoss stood there, not believing what he had just seen, feeling both stunned and heartsick. He desperately thought, trying to come up with a plausible reason for this, but couldn't no matter how hard he tried. Then he became angry and decided he would just stay where he was and wait for Adam to come out to demand an explanation. He ended up waiting for almost an hour and his thoughts turned more and more to how much this would hurt Thea if she knew. His anger grew with each passing minute.
When the door finally opened and Adam came out, Hoss had a hard time restraining himself from running down the hall right then. But he waited until the woman had hugged and kissed Adam again before shutting the door. His older brother turned to walk down the hallway in his direction, but stopped dead in surprise when Hoss stepped around the corner and started toward him.
Adam got one look at Hoss's expression and said, "Damn" under his breath. He put his hands up, "Hoss wait, this is not what it looks like.'
"Never cheat on Thea, huh?" Hoss said through clenched teeth as he walked faster. Adam backed up.
"I swear to you, I'm not cheating on Thea. This isn't what it looks like," Adam quickly said, backing away from his younger brother with his hands still up. "Oh God," he said and quickly ducked the punch Hoss threw at him.
"Hoss, at least give me a chance to explain," he said then had to avoid another punch that connected with the room door. The woman's voice on the other side called "Who it is?"
"Dora, don't open that door," Adam barked as he backed away from his brother, ducking and weaving and trying to stay out of reach. If Hoss got a hold of him, he would have to fight back and he didn't want to do that.
Hoss almost got him a few seconds later. Adam felt the air move across his face as he just barely avoided a punch that had all of Hoss's weight and power behind it. He avoided it, but the wall couldn't and the big man buried his hand in the plaster up to his wrist.
Adam stood there with his hands on his hips as Hoss tried to pull free, "Now I'm not going to pay for that, Hoss, YOU are."
His brother gave him a furious glare and with a huge wrench freed his hand and made a grab for Adam who backed up too quickly and banged into the room door. It immediately opened and he fell to the floor on his back with Dora standing over him.
She looked down at the man lying at her feet and he started to laugh. Then she looked up at Hoss, taking in his aggressive stance, his clenched fists, and the fire in his eye.
Hoss didn't really see her at first, his attention was focused on his older brother, but he noticed her quickly enough when she stepped over Adam and rushed him, reaching up to slap his face and then began shoving him in the chest until he was up against the wall. The woman was speaking rapidly in a language he was unfamiliar with and he had no idea what to do.
Adam was laughing even harder, but managed to get his breath long enough to gasp, "Dora stop! He's family, famiglia."
Stepping back, she turned and gave Adam a puzzled look as he sat up, then pulled himself to his feet. "This is Hoss, mio fratello. He thinks we are having an affair and he's defending Theadora's honor."
Her eyes went wide and round. "This is the Hoss you speak of in your letters?"
Adam took a deep breath before answering, "Yes, he and Thea are very close."
"Ah! Madre di Dio! Please to forgive me, I did not know," she said her face turning red with embarrassment as she looked up at Hoss imploringly.
"Wait a minute, you aren't off the hook yet," he growled at his brother over the woman's head. "What were you doin' in her room?"
Adam moved forward and put his hands on Dora's shoulders. "Hoss, look at her. Doesn't she look vaguely familiar?"
Hoss looked down at the woman who came up to his chin, taking in her dark gray eyes, glossy chestnut hair, and beautiful face that was now tipped up and looking at him with a cheeky grin. It was the expression that made the connection click in his mind.
"She looks like Thea!"
"Yes! And there's a very good reason for that - she's Thea's first cousin."
Hoss's expression quickly turned from irritation to pleased surprise and then he smiled, his blue eyes shining with happiness for his sister-in-law.
Dora blinked and lost her cheeky grin with a quick intake of breath. When she realized she was staring up at him with her mouth hanging open, she quickly closed it and looked down, her face turning an even deeper shade of red.
All three of them turned then when they heard someone coming. A tall man came around the corner and stopped, staring at the three of them. Then he came toward them at a fast walk. He started speaking before he reached them.
"What is going on here? Dorathea, who are these men?"
When he was almost to them it was plain to see that he was a male version of Dora with the same hair, eyes, and masculine version of her features.
"Calm yourself Dante. This is Adam Cartwright and his brother Hoss."
Dante's frown quickly turned to a smile as he held his hand out to Adam first, and then Hoss. "Ah, I am so pleased to finally meet you! We are very much looking forward to meeting Theadora."
He noticed Hoss looking back and forth between them. "Your eyes do not fool you, Hoss. Dora and I are gemelli, twins. And now we are all cugini, cousins through your brother's marriage to Theadora."
"More twins?" Hoss said to Adam, but Dora answered him.
"Yes, we are twins. Theadora's mother and our mother were also twins. We have very few single births in the direct female line." She smiled up at him and almost gasped again when he looked her in the eye. "L'anima di un angelo" she said softly, staring into his eyes.
"Sorry ma'am, what did you say?" Hoss asked her and she turned red again.
"Nothing, nothing important," she said and ducked her head to hide her expression.
Adam saw it all and was desperately trying to hold on to a serious expression and he knew he couldn't last much longer. "I think we better get back to the party, Hoss. Thea is probably already looking for me and will be deeply irritated soon."
They quickly said their good-byes and the two men started down the hallway. When they turned the corner to take the back stairs, Adam glanced back and saw Dora still standing in the hallway, watching. He grinned.
"So what do you think of your new cugini, Hoss?"
"My what?"
"Your new cousins."
"They seem nice enough. When will you be telling Thea?"
"On her birthday, Christmas Eve. This is my gift to her."
"She's gonna cry, isn't she?"
"I have no doubt she will. Anything to do with family she feels very deeply."
"Why is that with women? I mean, they cry when they're happy and they cry when they're sad," Hoss asked as they went out the back door.
"I don't know Hoss, but maybe it's just because they do feel things more deeply than men."
Hoss shook his head, "Never understand 'em, but I can't wait to see Thea's face."
"Me too." Adam said as they paused by the private entrance to his office. "But now that you know you can be a big help to me. Someone is going to have to help keep Dora entertained so she'll stay out of sight, she looks too much like Thea for people not to notice."
Hoss grinned, "Think she'll be hittin' me again?" he said as he rubbed his cheek. "She packs a pretty good right."
Adam laughed, "Another thing she has in common with her cousin." The two men exchanged amused looks.
"So, will you help me?"
"Sure, anythin' you need." Hoss answered, pleased at the idea of spending time with the beautiful, hot-tempered, and extremely appealing woman. Adam smiled - interpreting his brother's expression correctly - then they both hurried in to rejoin the party that was still in full swing.